'Thursday is the new Friday': Workers descend on Sydney bars for knock-off drinks, with a twist

When the call came for office workers to return to Sydney's CBD in March, the hospitality industry breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, long lunches and knock-off drinks looked set to stage a comeback.

The return to city life has not meant a return to pre-pandemic normal, however. As thousands of punters poured into restaurants, bars and pubs on Thursday evening, it became clear that weekend celebrations were kicking off earlier than ever before.

"Thursday has become the new Friday," says Maybe Group co-founder Stefano Catino, whose Harrington Street bar Maybe Sammy has been ranked among the world's best.

"The boys are ordering the expensive whisky, the girls are on the champagne, and the crowd stays longer because it's their Friday now. It's amazing, it's busy. The vibe is good."

The state government's push to revitalise the CBD coincided with a growing, nationwide labour shortage that placed increased pressure on companies to retain and attract staff with perks such as flexible working arrangements.

Many employees are using that flexibility to work from home on Friday, making Thursday their final day of the week in the office.

House Made Hospitality group co-founder Scott Brown says it is a relief to see people "playing hard" at his CBD venues, before heading back to the 'burbs for "a much more leisurely Friday at home".

The sunlit courtyard of Brown's newly opened Bar Mammoni at Quay Quarter reached capacity on Thursday afternoon.

"We can see that the corporate trade has shifted to Thursday," says Brown.

"We're also seeing that afternoon trade pick up. On Thursday, people would usually head back to the office after lunch to get more work done, but now they're lingering for longer and our lunch service is morphing into our dinner service. That was usually a Friday trait.

"It's heartening to see everyone using the city more."

For pop-up bar About Time, a smashing Thursday trade could signal the start of an upward swing.

"Thursday is one of our best nights," says About Time co-founder Ben Hickey.

"I think people go out for one or two drinks on the Thursday, then get a little bit carried away as they see it as the unofficial weekend.

"From the customers we talk to, quite a few people still stay home on Friday."

Hickey says the switch "definitely" saw a corresponding increase in Friday trade at his Potts Point venue, The Roosevelt, where local workers were logging off the home computer at 3pm and wandering in for a cold one.

At the small, inner-west wine bar Where's Nick, on Marrickville Road, Fridays have become "absolutely manic", according to co-owner and sommelier Bridget Raffal.

"We get the aperitivo rush, when everyone wants to squeeze in a drink before dinner; then we do a full dinner service; and then we get the digestivo rush with people who have eaten elsewhere," says Raffal.

"Fridays have definitely been kicking off earlier.

"Before, we may have had a gentle lead-in to a Friday night service and now when it hits 5pm – bam! We're full."

Welcoming the weekend with a few drinks among family and friends makes far more sense to Tom Hardwick of Coogee Wine Room, where happy hour specials lure in the locals.

"On a Friday, people are in here earlier [than they were pre-COVID], having a drink and catching up with friends," he says.

"In the old days, they would have been in Australia Square or somewhere in Circular Quay at that time."

Six of Sydney's best happy hour specials

About Time

As a joint venture between seven hospitality hotshots, About Time knows the value of a good happy hour. About Time offers "sundowners" from 4-6pm Tuesday to Friday, which includes $8 pints, house wine and house spirits.

37 Bligh Street, Sydney, 0434 661 028, abouttimebar.com.au

Maybe Sammy

This bar is much loved for its "mini martini" happy hour, which has since expanded to include six cocktail options. From 4.30-5.30pm Wednesday to Saturday, punters can enjoy $7 cocktail tasters, including the eucalyptus gimlet, chamomile martini and jasmine negroni.

115 Harrington Street, The Rocks, 02 9241 4970, maybesammy.com

Bar Mammoni

Snacks reign supreme at Bar Mammoni, where diners are encouraged to wander in and have a casual bite in the laneway after work. From just $5, graze on rock oysters with cucumber and tapioca, or whipped lardo pizzetta with wild honey and fresh herbs.

Shop 3 Loftus Lane, Sydney, 02 7228 1400, barmammoni.sydney

Where's Nick

Its aperitivo menu is "a little buffer zone for post-work plans", which encourages diners to settle in with a drink and a snack before moving on to sample its impressive collection of sustainable and minimal-intervention wines. Between 5-6pm, Wednesday to Friday, the bar offers tap wine, pastis and limoncello spritzes for $10, while snacks such as hash browns with parmesan cream are $5.

236 Marrickville Road, Marrickville, 0481 759 182, wheresnick.com.au

Coogee Wine Room

Happy hour is kept simple at Coogee Wine Room, where from 4-6pm, Tuesday to Friday, it's 25 per cent off all drinks. "It's funny, we've done a lot of different things over the years, from bubbles, to spritzes, to oysters, but this is the only thing that has really resonated with people," says Hardwick.

222 Coogee Bay Road, Coogee, 02 9665 5478, coogeewineroom.com.au

Menzies Bar and Bistro

This CBD venue serves up mini martinis alongside fresh lobster rolls for $10 each from 4-6pm, every Monday to Saturday. For something more substantial, the bar also offers small plates such as abalone toast, potato and scallop tarts and slow-ferment sourdough toasties.

37 Margaret Street, Sydney, 02 9158 4000, shellhouse.com.au/menzies-bar